[4][5] As a result of the Dubai World 2009 debt standstill, Nakheel Group's financial problems increased considerably and the tower was cancelled in December 2009.

[6] Nakheel was in talks with several potential contractors, including South Korea's Samsung C&T (who also built Burj Khalifa), Japanese Shimizu Corporation and Australian Grocon.

WSP was Lead Consultant for the structure, heading a consortium that included LERA of New York and VDM of Australia, and working with architects Woods Bagot.

Although ground leveling and land reclamation had begun on the Dubai Waterfront, construction of the tower never started because of the proximity to the Al Maktoum International Airport.

[9] With Woods Bagot replacing Pei Partnership as the architectural partner,[10] the latest released design had named the development Nakheel Harbour and Tower.

"[13] Nakheel also claimed on their engineering page that the towers would be joined by four-level, full diameter sky bridges at approximately every twenty-five floors.